He took a deep breath, the weight of his mission pressing down on him. Aria’s safety depended on this moment. Vanessa's last, desperate attempt to inflict damage, to torment him and Aria even from her incapacitated state, had to be neutralized.
As he raised the EMP device, a sudden movement caught his eye. A shadow detached itself from the deeper darkness near the fireplace. It wasn't a Blackthorn operative. It was smaller, more agile.
"Well, well," a voice drawled, soft and laced with a chilling amusement. "Look what the cat dragged in. The prodigal son returns to his ancestral tomb."
Zayn froze, his hand hovering over the EMP device. He recognized the voice. It was Silas, Vanessa’s most trusted enforcer, a man whose loyalty was as unwavering as his cruelty. He was supposed to be neutr
